Wharf and berthing system



Oct. 24, 1961 A. JULLIEN 3,005,437

WHARF AND BERTHING SYSTEM Flled June 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l IL r/5 *fif h- I 'l INVENTOR.

AGR/COL JULL/EN ATTOR N EY Oct. 24, 1961 Flled Ju A. JULLIEN WHARF AND BERTI-IING SYSTEM ne 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'll]IIIIIIIIIIIIII,III/III]I IIIII/IIII/IIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIII/II[III/[III] I Ay '75 I,

i (o) o INVENTOR.

AGE/COL JULLIEN ATTORNEY tes The present invention, which results from applicants researches, relates to the loading and/or unloading of high-sea boats, river'barges, lighters, or ferryboats and is concerned, more particularly, with a novel wharf and the berthing (docking) of boats alongside thereof. In the interest of conciseness, the term boat in the present specification and in the appended claims, will be used to denote high-sea boats, river barges, lighters, ferryboats, and any other type of water-borne transportation means.

To applicants knowledge, there does not exist at present either a wharf or a boat which enables expeditious and accurate berthing (accostage) of a boat, under all circumstances, and easy loading and/or unloading, by providing, first, perfect stability of the boat in the course of the necessary operations and, second, by the presence of a continuous and rigid system of boat-twharf tracks.

The present invention has for its object a wharf and the berthing operation relating thereto, and consists in establishing a close connection between the wharf and boat, which is automatically placed in line and on a level with the wharf.

Other objects of the invention will be disclosed in the course of the following description.

As a result of his investigations, applicant has developed a (berthing) pier-head the emergent height of which can be con-trolled as a function, first, of the water level, and, second, of the draught of the boat which is to be berthed (drawn alongside). Instead of the pierhead being directly placed on and integral with the seabottom or the river bed, it is attached to a gangway (bridge) which is itself connected to the ground. The pier-head can be pre-fabricated prior to its installation; this is in contrast with conventional pier-heads, generally constructed of reinforced concrete, and which are quite tall in the case where there exist large variations in waterlevel, swells, and/or deep bottoms.

According to a special embodiment of the invention, the pier-head has such a shape that it will substantially fit the shape of the stems of the boat being berthed.

The gangway is supported at its waterside end by a gantry, itself attached to a framework assembly resting on blocks, for example, of reinforced concrete, uniting the top portions of a stack of reinforced concrete floatingtype piles, sunk into the ground.

Applicant has further developed a system which enables an extremely close attachment of the boat to said gangway. It consists of two jaws forming a vise and, during the berthing operation one of the jaws engages under the stern of the boat, and the other above it. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower jaw comprises, among other parts, a suspended beam, such as a supporting bar, which seizes the boat under the hull, and the upper jaw includes an articulated floor which completes the gangway.

Further, at the same time that the end of the boat will be seized and gripped in said vise, the boat, according to the invention, will be centered (aligned) on the axis of the gangway with great precision. Such centering can be obtained, for example, by providing two conical members, placed on each side of said upper jaw and which, at the time the vise members are drawn to- 3,005,437 Patented Oct. 24., 1961 2v gether will engage into two cups, attached to the top of and at the end of the boat.

According to the invention a pre-centering will be obtained preliminarily by providing a spring-buffer with roller disposed on the stem of the boat and which will abut against the pier-head described above. The reaction of the pier-head on the roller will cause the boat to center itself automatically along the axis of the gangway.

In this way, the planes of the loading and/or unloading tracks of the gangway and boat are connected in astrictly continuous and rigid manner, and the'boat which is well grasped in the vise, will be completely motionless in the course of the loading'and/ or unloading operations. The tracks can be equipped with any known transporting means, such as car-rails.

The heights of the bridge, pier-head and vise are adjusted previousto, or in the course of, the berthing operation in dependence of the water level and draft of the boat being berthed. Such adjustment can be accomplished by means of a set of winches and cables mounted, for example, on the gantry.

Applicant has further established that, in the case where the land bordering the sea orthe river is loose and has a low compressive strength and where, in addi tion, the water level is subject to large variations, the wharf system according to the invention offers great technical and economic advantages. It permits distribution of the pressure acting on the ground according to the latters resistance, and permits dimensioning and limitation of the inclination of the loading and/or unloading tracks according to thematerials to be transported and the transporting means used, without necessitating th building up of extremely large and costly permanent structures. Moreover, the invention enablesv the selection of the best working conditions taking into account currents, winds, existence of swells orrolling motion, etc.

The various elements of the gangways, pier-head, vise, hoist, frameworks, piles, bumpers (dues dAlbe), gabions, etc. can be constructed of any suitable material known per se such as, and without limitation: hardwoods, as pitchpine or greenheart wood, metal, as iron, concrete, etc.

Moreover, theboats used with the present invention, can be symmetrical and can be berthed alongside the wharf of the preesnt invention by either end.

The following example, which is not given by way of limitation, will illustrate the wharf system of the present invention and the related berthingoperations. It relates more particularly to an application of the invention to the transportation across a river of heavily loaded trucks on ferryboats;

Example.RailWay cars weighing to tons each, are transported across a river several hundred meters wide by means of ferryboats capable of carrying two cars each, thus having a useful (live) load of the order of 200 tons, also a light displacement of 200 tons; the ferryboats are 39 meters long and 10 meters wide. Hence, they are characterized in having a small displacement and small length inproportion to the unit weight of a transported car, which presents a diificult problem of stabilization of the ferryboat during loading and unloading.

The wharf system and the berthing operations according to the invention respond to the following diiferent conditions: large variations in height of the water level of the order of 2.40 meters; rolling less than 3.5 Wind pressure equal to or below 250 kg./m. absolute track slope less than 2.4%, and relative slope of two successive planes less than 5%; finally, the ground bordering the river consists of muddy sand to a depth of 40 meters,

having a resistance of less than 0.450 kg./cm. and a depth of the river bottom at the river banks of the order of meters! In order to meet all of these conditions, applicant has developed the wharf system shown in the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of the entire wharf System;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation on the river side of the end of the gangway 6-and its supporting system;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are, respectively, a partial schematic longitudinal viewin section-and a plan view of parts of the ferry and wharf during the berthing operation, while FIGURE 5 is a schematic view showing the hoisting means of the berthing vise.

FIGURE 6 is a schematic side view of a wharf system such as is shown in FIGURE 1, but in a reversed position. 1

Referring to the drawings; On each bank of the river there is built a wharf corresponding to the one represented in FIGURE 1, on which is shown a ferry (ferryboat). I loaded with two cars 2, berthed (clocked) at the river bank. Two gangways 5 and 6, each 25 meters long, articulated at 7 and 8, are disposed at an angle of about 45 to the direction of the flow (arrow 3) of the river, which is provided wtih a dike 4; hence, the total length of both gangways is 50 meters which gives, with the maximum permissible slope, a level variation of 2.40 meters of the end of 6 on the river side, the other end of the assembly being articulated to firm ground on the shore at 7. 8 is a joint with an intermediate support. The assembly is mainly supported on blocks 9 built up on piles. The ferry rests against bumpers 10. As a result of the mutual reaction of ferry and pier-head, the horizontal strains during berthing are absorbed by the gangways. 5 and 6, and are transmitted longitudinally to the fixed joint 7 on the. ground, and transversely to a gabion 11 formed of a sheet metal piling box filled with sand.

In FIGURE 2 there is shown: the pier-head 13 against which the ferry abuts on berthing; the gantry 14 attached to an assembly of frameworks 15, supported by the blocks 9 built up on piles 12. Two safety bolts 16 are provided to prevent, when necessary, any reversal of the gangway as a result of a torsion couple caused by rolling, and not completely balanced by the weight of the gantry and its various mechanisms; the irreversible Winch 17 for actuating the gangway 6, and finally, the connecting floor or platform 18.

Referring now to. FIGURES 3 and 4. The ferry 1 is provided on its longitudinal axis, at the bow, with a spring buffer roller 19. On berthing, the ferry bears against the bumpers (represented at 10, FIGURE 1), then abuts against pier-head 13, disposed in such a Way that, if the ferry is not on a line with the axis of the gangway, it will become centered automatically by the reaction of the pier-head on the roller. The stem (bow) 20 of the ferry is then grasped in a vise constituted of two j'aws- 18 and 21 operated simultaneously by a winch 22, asshown on FIGURE 5; further, and as stated, the upper jaw 18 (also) serves as a connecting platform or floor, being articulated on the gangway 6. The platform is, moreover, equipped with conical members 23, which engage in cups 24 duringthe tightening of the vise.

The adjustment of the vise is such that, when the ferry arrives loaded to its maximum, it will be raised about 16 cm.; on the contrary, if it arrives light, it will be lowered about 40 cm., the diiference in draft between light and loaded in the present case being 56 cm. Such an adjustment corresponds, moreover, with minimum strains imposed on the gangway 6 and on the blocks.

As heretofore described, the gangway structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of gangways, each of which can have its slope varied relative to the water level, while the gangway structure as a whole can also be varied relative to the water level. The pivotal mountings of the several gangways are illustrated in greater detail in FIGURE 6, which shows the shore-articulation 7 of gangway 5 and the intermediate articulation 8 between gangway 5 and gangway 6.

Said joint 8 is supported on a block 25 built up on piles 26 by means 01: a hydraulic jack 27 whose variations in height are half the level variation of the end of gangway 6 on the river side. In the example described above, the joint 8 can be moved vertically 1.20 meters, so the relative slope between both gangways is very small for the largest level variations of the river.

I claim:

1. Wharf and berthing system for boats comprising, in combination: a gangway structure having a shore end and a waterside end, said shore end pivotally attached to the shore, and said waterside end movably supported and recessed to receive the end of boat; means for displacing said waterside end for alignment with the level of the boat and means adjacent the waterside end of the gangway structure for grasping the end of the boat being berthed underneath the hull and above the deck, said grasping means comprising vise-like members, one of said members being pivotally mounted for movement in a vertical plane above the water, and the other said member is a beam submerged in the water, and means for operating said vise-like members to grasp the end of the boat adjacent the gangvvay structure.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the waterside end of the gangway structure is provided with an angular recess, and wherein the end of the boat adjacent the gangway structure is provided with an elastic bufier member cooperating with said recess to produce longitudinal alignment of the boat with the gangway structure.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the grasping means comprise a platform mounted about a horizontal pivot on the waterside end of the gangway structure, and a plurality of means mounted on the platform and on either side of the longitudinal axis oi the gangway stnucture adapted tov engage cooperating means on the boat for securely aligning the boat relative to said longitudinal axis of the gangway structure.

4. A system according to claim 1, provided with offshore lateral supports for the boat being berthed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 824,627 Condict et' a1 June 26-, 1906 1,154,133 Seltzer Sept. 21, 1915 2,501,310 Burke Mar. 21, 1950 2,759,331 Fiebinger et al Aug. 21, 1956 2,905,127 Ohlson et al Sept. 22, 1959 2,948,121 Karst Aug. 9, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,063,852 France Dec. 23, 1953 

